Minnesota Oncology has been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).  The QOPI® Certification Program (QCP™) certifies oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for cancer care.

“QOPI provides oncology practices with the information needed to evaluate and continually improve the quality of care they provide for patients,” said ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, FACP, FASCO. “Since its start in 2010, The QOPI Certification Program allows practices to maintain their commitment to excellence by providing high quality care for patients with cancer.”

“We’re extremely proud to receive this certification from ASCO and QOPI which underscores our commitment to providing the best possible care for our patients,” said Nicole Hartung, MD, Director of Quality for Minnesota Oncology.

QOPI® is a voluntary self-assessment and improvement program launched by ASCO in 2006 to help hematology-oncology and medical oncology practices assess the quality of the care they provide to patients. Through the QOPI program, practices abstract data from patients’ records up to twice per year and enter this information into a secure database. More than 900 oncology practices have registered for the QOPI program.  

The QCP was launched in January 2010, and more than 250 practices are currently certified. This certification for outpatient oncology practices is the first program of its kind for oncology in the United States. Oncologists can achieve certification by participating in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment against clearly specified standards that are consistent with national guidelines. The QCP seal designates those practices that successfully meet the standards and objectives of the QOPI Certification Program, which includes scoring above threshold on the key QOPI quality measures and meeting chemotherapy safety standards established by ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). 

QOPI® analyzes individual practice data and compares these to more than 160 evidence-based and consensus quality measures. The information is then provided in reports to participating practices.  Individual practices are also able to compare their performance to data from other practices across the country. Based on this feedback, doctors and practices can identify areas for improvement.  

To become certified, practices have to submit to an evaluation of their entire practice and documentation standards. The QCP staff and steering group members then verify through on-site inspection that the evaluation and documents are correct and that the practices met core standards in areas of treatment, including:

• treatment planning;
• staff training and education;
• chemotherapy orders and drug preparation;
• patient consent and education;
• safe chemotherapy administration;
• monitoring and assessment of patient well-being.

The QCP provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet standards for quality and safety in cancer care.

QOPI and the QCP are projects of ASCO’s Institute for Quality, an ASCO affiliate dedicated to innovative quality improvement programs. For more information, please visit: http://qopi.asco.org/certification.html.

About ASCO:

Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 35,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research and programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of people with cancer.  For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.

About ASCO Institute for Quality, LLC

The ASCO Institute for Quality is an ASCO affiliate dedicated to innovative quality improvement programs for ASCO members and their patients. Committed to providing oncologists with the necessary resources to provide every patient with high-level cancer care, the Institute carries out ASCO’s clinical quality improvement programs. The Institute is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASCO.